Soft-coal burning and smoke-consuming apparatus for locomotive-engines.



D. BURNFIEIZD. SOFT COAL BURNING AND SMOKE CONSUMING APPARATUS FOR LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, I915.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

D. BURNFIELD.

SOFT coAL BURNING AND SMOKE comsumme APPARATUS roa LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1915.

. I 1,150 ,338, Patented Aug. 17, M10.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- "HAAA'AF I A ii A FFKQ.

DAVID B URNFIELD, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Application filed March 16, 1915. Serial No. 14,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID BURNFIELD,

a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Soft-Coal Burning and Smoke- (lonsuming Apparatus for Locomotive-Engines, of which the following is a specifica tion.

My invention relates to improved apparatus for burning and consuming the smoke of soft coals, and the objects of my invention are: first, to provide an apparatus for burning and consuming lignite and other soft coals and their smoke and combustible volatile gases in the fire boxes of locomotive, marine, traction and stationary engines; second, to provide means for forcibly arresting and deflecting the smoke and sparks that flow from the fire boxes and fines into and through the smoke stacks of locomotive engines from the smoke stack back into the fire box, and to deflect it therein directly in consuming contact with the fire therein; third, to provide a simple, practical and efl'ective apparatus that will effectively remove smoke and sparks from smoke stacks and that will thoroughly consume them, and that will consequently obviate the danger of setting fire to property along the railroad tracks.-

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a locomotive engine, equipped with the improved smoke-consuming apparatus, parts being broken away for clearer illustration. Fig. 2, is a plan View of the same; Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the smoke stack of the engine, showing the fan and its operating mechanism, by which the smoke is forced from the smoke stack through a pipe to the engine fire-box. Fig.

4, is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a rear end view of the engine showing the manner of connection between the smoke conveying pipe and the fire box door, the cab being shown in dotted lines. view through the main fire box door, showing the same provided with a stoking door, and an elbow for receiving the rear end of the smoke-conveying pipe. Fig. 7, is a perspective view of one of the fan blades. Fig. 8,

of the ingine.

Fig. 6, is a vertical sectional V is aye'rtical sectional View through a locomotive smoke stack, showing the same equippedwith a plurality of fans, and Fig. g, 13 a similar sectional View showing a modlfication in the arrangement of the smoke conveying plpe.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several'views.

Referring to the draWings',Fig. 1 represents the practical application of my invention for burning and consuming the smoke of soft coals, to the fire box and smoke stack of a locomotive engine, although my invention is also applicable to the fire boxes and smoke stacks .of traction, marine, and Sta tionary engine boilers.

In the drawings, the numeral 2 designates the fire box, 3 the cab, 4 the boiler, 5 the smoke stack, and 6 the cylinder of one side Uponthe usual door frame of the fire box 2, is hinged a main door 7, which fits the opening of the said door frame, the door frame 7 being hinged'at one end, so as to swing horizontally to one side when it is desired to break up cinders on the grate oIthe nre box and'remove them, or for any other purpose. This main door 7 is provided with an elbow 8, which extends nearly;- the ,whole width of the door, and with astoking. door 9, which is hinged at its lower edge to a horizontal flange 10, which terminates in end plates 11, having inclined edges, against which the door leans .by gravity whenclosed, the upper edge of the door 9' terminating adjacent the under portion of the elbow 8. The elbow 8 is upwardly curved as shown, and is adapted to receive the end of a smoke conveying pipe 12, which fits around it snugly but loosely" enough to be removed and raised above and out of the way of the upper edge of the main door 7, when the fireman desires to swing open the said door 7 for any purpose. A smoke deflecting plate 13 extends along the upper edge of the elbow inlet opening 14, and lies at a downward oblique angle to the inside vertical face of the door 7 This deflector plate extends into the fire box a sufficient distance to deflect the smoke flow ing into the, fire box from the pipe 12, against or close enough to the surface of the fire in the fire box to cause the said smoke to be consumed. The smoke conveying pipe 12 extends from the elbow 8 through one of. the front windows of the cab 3 of the englue and along the top of the boiler to the smoke stack 5, which it intersects at a tan plane on a vertically supported shaft 15,.

one or more fans 16, only one however being shown in Fig. 1, although two orrnore may be used-if desired, as shown in F1g. 8.

I preferably use a fan having a plurality of blades 17 radiating in the same plane from a common hub 18, said blades being of a form especially adapted to intercept upwardly moving smoke and sparks and deflect them into the entrance of the pipe 12,

and I rotate these fan blades fast enough'to drive the smoke and sparks intoand through the pipe 12, and into the fire box.

I thereof, and the end of this reduced portion 'My invention contemplates any and'every and all kinds of fans and fan blades that can be used in asmokestack and that are adapted to intercept and to deflect the smoke and the sparks as they flow from the fire box through the fiues' of the boiler and up through. and out of the smoke stack when the coal is burning under either natural or forced draft. I preferaby however carry out this feature of my invention in the following manner: Within the Smokestack 5, are secured in any suitable mannerhori'zontal supports 19 and 20. The support 19 carries a bushing 21, which is positioned in the axial center of the stack, and the support 20 carries a socket bearing 22, in line with the bushing 21. The lower portion of the shaft 15 is of less diameter than the remainder is supported in the bearing 22, while its upper portion passes through and a short distance above the bushing 21. The shaft 15 is threaded for a suitable distance above the reduced portion, and upon this threaded the same plane with an opening 25, in the 'portion is screwed the hub 18, which is locked securely upon the shaft by a jam nut 23. The fan blades 17 may be of any form which will best secure the end desired, but as illustrated they comprise flat, vertically disposed plates, having flanges extending at right angles from their upper and inner edges, and in the direction of the rotation of the fans. The blades are'rigidly secured to radial arms 24, the inner ends of which are threaded and enter threadedholes in the hub 18, and the-said blades are on stack, which communicates with the smoke conveying pipe 12.

Upon the upper end of the shaft 15, is rigidly. secured, by a set screw or other suitable means, a bevel gear wheel 26, which meshes with bevel driving gear 27 mounted on a shaft 28, which extends horizontally through the stack and is supported in suitable bearings 29 secured upon the stack. The rear end of this shaft extends beyond its bearing and has secured thereon a sprocket wheel 30, which is connected by a chain 31 with a sprocket wheel 32, on the shaft of a motor 33. This motor may be of any preferred character, such as an electrically operated or a gas operated motor, but the drawings illustrate a steam turbine, of suitable character, which is supplied by a pipe 34, which connects with the boiler 4,

at a point adjacent to the cab.3. Thepipe carries a valve 35, having a stem 36, which extends into the cab, so as to be accessible to the engineer, so that steam may be ad- .mitted to the turbine for operating the fan,

passes up through a petticoat 37, and out through the smoke stack, thus causing a draft through the boiler flues, which not only draws the smoke out through-the stack but thereby contributes largely to the effective combustion in the fire box.

In the succemful operation of the present apparatus, however, it would be impracticable to carry the exhaust through the stack, as the exhaust carries a certain percentage of moisture, which coming in contact with the smoke and itsfiner particlesv of coal, would render them too heavy'to be successfully carried through the'pipe 12, and the result would be a clogging of the pipe thereby necessitating frequent cleaning of the same. The present method of conserving and consuming the smoke requires that the same shall be as light as possible, and consequently as dry as possible; In order to meet these requirements, I provide a pipe 38 in the forward end of the boiler casing, the inner end of which is ar .-ranged to connect with the exhaust 'ports from the cylinders 6, while its outer end extends through the casing, thus permitting the exhaust to pass to the atmosphere.

It is necessary however, that a draft of air shall be carried through the smoke stack, in order to create proper combustion in the fire. box, and that the air should be per fectly dry. To accomplish this, I support an air compressing cylinder 39, at a point below the boiler, and beyond the axle of the forward driving wheels. This cylinder is of a type in common use and therefore needs no detail description, The piston rod 40 ofthis cylinder is connected to one end of a driving rod 41, the other end of which connects with an eccentric 42, on the axle of the forward driving wheels, Pipes 43 extend from the opposite ends of the cylinder and are connected by a T 44, from which extends a pipe 45, which connects with a receiving tank 46, which is secured upon oneof the running boards 47, of the engine. A pipe 48 extends from one end of the receiving tank and enters the boiler casing at a point slightly below the petticoat 37, and has a vertical nozzle portion 49 which extends up a short distance into the petticoat.

The pipe 48 has a valve 50 provided with an operating lever 51, by which the valve may be opened to let out air through the pipe 48, or closed to cut off air from the said pipe. To 'the lever 51 is secured one end of an operating rod 52, the opposite end of which extends into the cab, and is connected to a hand lever 53, by which the engineer can pull or push the rod 52,- to open or close the valve 50. Thus, when the valve 50 is opened, air under pressure passes from the tank 46 through the pipe 48 and nozzle 49, and up through the petticoat and into the smoke stack, the suction occasioned thereby causing a draft through the boiler flues by which the smoke is drawn into the stack, where it is caught by the fan blades and forced out through the pipe 12, as before partially open as conditions may require.

It is desirable that this cover should be operated from the cab, and while any suitable operating means may be employed, I have illustrated the following arrangement:

Upon one of the cover hinges is secured an arm or lever 55, at right angles to the cover and extending an equal distance on each side of the hinge. From the ends of this lever wires or light cables 56, extend to a similar lever 57, which is' centrally pivoted to a support 58, in the cab, in aposition convenient to the engineer. The lever 57 is provided. with an operating handle 59, by which it may be rocked on its pivot.

By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that by rocking the lever 57 in one direction, the lid 54 is opened, and by a reverse movement of the said lever, the lid is closed. Thus the lid is at all times under the control of the engineer.

In Fig. 8, I have shown a stack provided with a plurality of fans 60, the blades of which are slightly inclined. The smoke conveying pipe 61 has an enlargement 62, where it joins the smoke stack, in order that the smoke exit from the stack may be of sufficient diameter to receive the smoke from'all of the fans. By this arrangement, any smoke escaping from the first fan, will be caught by the second, and so on to the uppermost fan, and thus the amount of smoke which might escape from the top of the stack would be inconsiderable.

In Fig. 9, I have illustrated a stack having a smoke conveying pipe 63, which has an upward instead of a lateral inclination. In this arrangement, the smoke has only to be slightly diverted from its natural course by the fan 64, in order to enter the conveying pipe, thus causing its exit from the stack to the conveying pipe to be easily and effectively accomplished.

The steady continuous flow of air through the pipe 48in the present arrangement, to

cause an up-draft through the stack, as

against the intermittent draft which wouldbe the case if the exhaust steam escaped through the stack .in the ordinary manner, also tends largely to minimize the escape of sparks and cinders.

In operation, when the engine is started, the lever 53 is operated to admit air under pressure to the stack, and at the same time the valve 35 is opened to admit steam to the turbine 33 by which the fan is rotated, and

the smoke entering the stack is caught by the said fan and forced through the pipe 12 and elbow 8, to the fire box, the deflector 13 acting to direct the smoke down, and also the volatile products of combustion that escape with the smoke from the fire box into the smoke stack where the fan mechanism also forces a considerable volume of air into the pipe, and this combination of the carbon of the smoke and of such volatile gases as escape with'it and the oxygen of the air mixed together and forced into the fire box forms a combustible element that very greatly raises the degree of heat in the fire box and this increased heat not only consumes the smoke but very effectively burns the softcoal in the fire box, as this volume of combustible materials is forced in.con tact with the fire in the fire box. The quantity of smoke which escapes from the smoke stack should be but a small percentage of the volume of smoke resulting from the combustion of soft coal in the fire box, and from this percentage is eliminated the heavier unconsumed products, by which danger from sparks and the discomfort from lmrning and smoke consuming apparatus,

and permits the use of a grade of coal hitherto impracticable for use in locomotive engines, owing to the fact that so large a percentage of unconsumed products of such coal are carried out through the stack.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: a

1. A soft coal burning apparatus for the fire boxes of locomotive, marine and stationary boilers, comprising a pipe connecting the fire box with 1ts smoke stack, a horizontal rotating fan in said smoke stack, a-

' suming apparatus for locomotive engines, the combination of the fire box, the flues and the smoke stack of a locomotive, of a horizontally disposed smoke conveying pipe leading from one side of said stack and ex tending into said fire box, a horizontal fan rotatably mounted in said stack, a deflecting plate in said fire box at the discharge end of said smoke pipe arranged to deflect smoke from said stackin combustible relation to the fire in said fire box, and meansfor discharging a supply of air under pressure into said smoke stack below said fan mechanism, whereby smoke and the volatile elements of lignite and other soft coals and oxygen are commingled and arrested and are driven by said fan in said stack into said fire box against the bed of burning coal and form a combustible combination of elements that greatly increases the heat of the fire box and thoroughly burns the soft coal fed to said fire box.

3. In a soft coal burning and smoke consuming apparatus for locomotive engines,

' the combination with the smoke stack and fire box thereof, of a door on said fire box having an upturned elbow, a pipe extending from the stack and detachably connected to said elbow, a horizontal rotary fan mounted in said stack on the plane of the pipe, a motor for operating said fan, and means for causing an up-draft through said stack, consisting of a pipe connected with a source of air under pressure, a valve in said pipe having an operating lever, a hand lever located in the engine cab, and a rod connecting said valve lever and said hand lever.

4. In a soft coal burning andsmoke consuming apparatus for locomotive engines, the combination with the smoke stack and the firebox, of an air. storage tank, a pipe leading from said storage tank to said smoke stack and terminating in an upward bend in line with the axial center of the smoke stack,

a valve for controlling the passage of air through said pipe, an operating rod extending therefrom to the engine cab, a main door on said fire b ox having an upturned elbow, a smoke conveylng pipe connecting said stack and removably attached to said elbow, a rotary horizontal fan in said stack on the lane of said smoke conveying pipe, a motor or operating said fan, and a stoking door hinged to said main door below said elbow.-

. 5. In a soft coal burning and smoke consuming apparatus for locomotive engines, the combination with the smoke stack and fire box thereof, of a door on said fire box having an upturned elbow, a pipe extending from said stack and detachably connected to.

said elbow, an axial shaft mounted in said stack, a fan mounted thereon in line with said pipe comprising aplurality of blades said stack, and a deflecting plateconnected,

with said elbow for directing a down draft against the fire in said fire box. 1 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID BURNFIELD. Witnesses:

G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADELLA M. FOWLE. 

